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Cryptosporidium hominis Phylogenomic Analysis Reveals Separate Lineages With Continental Segregation

Felipe Cabarcas1,2, Ana Luz Galvan-Diaz3, Laura M Arias-Agudelo1

  • 1Centro Nacional de Secuenciación Genómica CNSG, Sede de Investigación Universitaria-SIU, Medellín, Colombia.

Frontiers in Genetics
|November 1, 2021
PubMed

Insights

Cryptosporidium hominis, a major cause of cryptosporidiosis, shows two distinct lineages, Euro-American and Afro-Asian, based on global genome analysis. This discovery aids in understanding parasite evolution and waterborne disease outbreaks.

Area of Science:

  • Genomics
  • Parasitology
  • Molecular Biology

Background:

  • Cryptosporidium is a significant cause of global waterborne disease outbreaks.
  • Cryptosporidium hominis and C. parvum are primary agents of human cryptosporidiosis worldwide.
  • Advances in Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) have enabled the generation of numerous parasite genomes.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To compare the assembly quality and purity of over 100 de novo assembled Cryptosporidium hominis genomes.
  • To perform a comprehensive phylogenomic analysis of C. hominis genomes.
  • To identify distinct lineages within C. hominis populations.

Main Methods:

  • Oocyst enrichment from infected human stool samples.
  • Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) and metagenomic assembly.
  • Computational genome filtering and comparative genomic analysis.
  • Phylogenomic analysis of assembled C. hominis genomes.

Main Results:

  • Over 100 C. hominis genomes were analyzed for quality and purity.
  • Phylogenomic analysis revealed two distinct lineages within C. hominis.
  • These lineages exhibit continental segregation: Euro-American (EA) and Afro-Asian (AA).

Conclusions:

  • Cryptosporidium hominis comprises two geographically distinct lineages, EA and AA.
  • This finding provides insights into the population structure and evolution of C. hominis.
  • Understanding these lineages can inform strategies for controlling cryptosporidiosis outbreaks.
Keywords:
Cryptosporidium hominiscomparative genomicsde novo genome assemblyevolutionlineage

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